After You
by OccaisionalPen
Summary: An explosion leaves O'Neill and Carter with no easy way home. One-shot.


_Disclaimer: The usual. Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author._

**After You**

"After you, Major," said O'Neill with a smile, gesturing to the liquid blue horizon of the StarGate.

"Oh, no, Sir, you first, I wouldn't dream of it," smiled Carter.

"I don't believe it," grumbled Jackson. "Three days and they're STILL at it!"

"Carter, I insist."

"DanielJackson, I do not believe I understand," commented Teal'c.

"There's nothing to understand. Come on, Teal'c, let's go and leave these two to their antics. At least we'll get back before we loose the wormhole." Daniel grabbed his pack in one hand and a sample bag in the other and stormed through the gate. Teal'c shrugged quizzically but followed.

"Oh, no, Sir, I absolutely couldn't. Age….ahh, sorry…rank before beauty, after all." Delivered with a salute.

O'Neill grimaced. "Ouch. Score is now Carter seven, O'Neill two. And for your trophy….you can carry that." He moved leisurely toward the gate as Carter stepped behind the DHD to pick up the last of the samples.

KABOOM!! A flash of white, a hail of debris, and then – the gate crumbled silently to the ground.

**Day 1**

"Sir! Take it easy, it's all right. Ow! Take it easy, will you?"

A hoarse whisper. "Carter?"

"Yes, sir, it's me. It's OK. You're injured, just lay still."

The thrashing stopped. A moment of silence. "What…? How….?"

"The gate exploded, Sir, you got thrown back."

O'Neill pondered laboriously on this for a minute. "Daniel? Teal'c?"

"I don't know, Colonel. They went through well ahead. They are probably at SGC, but I don't know for sure."

Another pause. "Why are we still here?" The words were slurred.

"Because….because….Sir, the gate was destroyed and there is no way I can fix it."

"Oh." O'Neill commented. "My head hurts." And he passed out.

**Day 2**

"Colonel? Sir? Are you awake?"

A groan was the reply. "I am now."

"Good, Sir, here, drink this."

O'Neill sat up slowly, supported by Carter.

The water in the canteen was cool. "Thanks, Carter. But couldn't it have waited until morning?"

"Morning?" She was puzzled. "It's almost noon."

"Noon? Oh, for crying out loud! Carter, it's dark as sin! It can't be noon!" The sunlight illuminated his face.

"Sir….."

A brilliant orange bird landed next to his foot. O'Neill didn't see it.

**Day 3**

"Carter, doesn't this planet have two stargates?"

"Well, Sir, if Daniel's translation back in the temple was correct, then yes, it should."

"So? Where is this other StarGate?"

"The description wasn't exact, but it indicated that it's in a valley, well shadowed by mountains, and close to a river. From the hieroglyphs, it also seemed to be in an area where the incident angle of sunlight was much lower than our current…."

"A clue, Carter?" O'Neill snapped impatiently.

"Ahhh, sorry. Sort of…north north east. Through the mountains, Sir."

"Well? What are we waiting for?"

**Day 4**

"Ouch! Damn it, Carter! What clobbered me that time?"

"Sorry, Colonel, I forget that you're taller than me. I'll watch for branches a bit higher up."

"And rocks, and streams, and sticks…..Carter, right now it is Planet 17, O'Neill zip. And we've only been at this for a few hours! Being blind didn't give me any special powers, ya'know. I keep loosing my balance, I don't know where to put my feet, you run me into things, and to top it off, my head hurts!"

"Ahhhh…..Yes Sir. How about a break? And maybe I can find you a hiking staff?"

**Day 5**

"We made a lot of progress today, Sir. Your bedroll is right behind you, whenever you're ready to turn in."

'Thanks, Carter. Now sounds good." He reached back and dragged his sleeping bag forward and fumbled for a minute.

"Would you like me to open that up?"

"NO!" O'Neill roared. "I might not be able to see, but by golly I've been setting up my own gear for longer than you've been alive! I do NOT need your help!!"

Carter was silent as she wormed her way into her own sleeping bag. "Good night, Sir."

The fire died down. The moons shifted overhead.

"Colonel, are you going to let me untie your sleeping bag, or do you expect your pride to keep you warm all night?"

**Day 6**

"It's just a short rappel, down a simple rock face. Nice and smooth, nothing to get hung up on. I'll belay you, and talk you down. You can do it blindfolded, Sir, there's nothing to it. Just go slow and easy, like you taught Daniel, and….."

"Nothing to it! Blindfolded, ya'think? For cryin' out loud, Sam, I can't believe this! If I fall, I guarantee that I will come back and haunt you! And by the way, how far down is it?"

"How far? Well, Sir, about….100 feet."

"YOU WANT ME TO JUMP OFF OF A TEN STORY BUILDING WHEN I CAN'T SEE A THING????"

"That about sums it up, I guess."

"Well, that's reassuring. Where's the damn rope?"

Carter put the rope in O'Neill's hand and watched as he rigged a harness.

"Oh, and Carter?"

"Sir?"

"Carter, we've been holding hands now for five days, and even though my track record with women isn't the greatest, usually by now I've made it past the formalities. Besides, I'm about to leap to my death. Do you think that we could dispense with the Sir stuff?"

"No, Sir."

The rope went slack. "What? Why not?"

Respect, Carter thought, pure and honest respect_._ But she said simply, "Because you're my CO."

**Day 7**

"Sir, what are you doing?"

"Making a fishing pole. We're out of MRE's and that concoction you brewed last night, well, nothing personal, but I'd rather not have it again. I might not be able to hunt, but I'll bet I can still fish."

"Fish? In that river we just crossed?"

"Yup. And Carter, where's my survival knife? I need to dig some worms. Where's that rotten log that you called a bridge? It's a likely digging place…."

**Day 8**

"Sam! SAM!!! Sam… Oh my god Sam…."

"I'm right here, Sir. Colonel, wake up, it's a dream, a bad dream, I'm right here."

"Sam - My god Sam I dreamed I couldn't see, tell me it's a dream, tell me it's not real, tell me….."

"I'm sorry,….." she whispered, her voice breaking, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so sorry….."

**Day 9**

"It's not all dark, you know, Sam."

"What do you mean? Can you tell light from dark? Sir, that's great!"

"No, no. It's like curtains, like the Aurora Borealis, sometimes. Or like…like the Horsehead nebula, bright stars swirling." His voice grew bitter. "I wonder if I'll ever see them again? Or anything again?"

"I don't know, Sir. But Dr. Frasier will know, when we get home."

"Home? That other gate….."

"It exists, Sir. Daniel was sure of it."

"But, Carter, why haven't they activated it?"

"I don't know, Colonel. We're not sure how to activate secondary gates reliably, yet, so maybe that's it. Maybe….maybe Teal'c and Daniel didn't make it. But don't give up hope, Sir, we'll find it and get home. I'm sure of it."

**Day 10**

"Do you really think this is wise, Carter? That you go scouting and I wait here? What if….what if something happens? An accident?"

"It's the only way. This terrain is too rough. I need to scout it first, before we go through."

"I don't like this….."

"Never said you would, Sir. I'll be back before you know it."

Those two hours were the longest ones O'Neill had ever lived through.

**Day 11**

"Bear with me, Sir. This shale field isn't stable. Give me your hands, now left foot forward…slide it, don't lift it….a bit further…now to your right a half inch…now set it down, gently, gently. That's great!"

"One small step for man….and another how many to go, Carter?"

"About a hundred. Right foot now, pick it way up…NO! Don't put it down! Sir, bring it to your left, yes that's it….right there, that's it."

"Carter, did you know that your hands are sweating?"

"So are yours, Colonel."

"What happens if we, umm, louse this up?"

"You don't want to know about that, Sir, really."

**Day 12**

"You want me to jump over a WHAT???"

"A crevasse, Sir, and onto a - well, it's like an island that's connected to the other side by a narrow land bridge. It's about a twelve foot jump, and it has good footing on each side. We can get a running start. It's about eight feet lower than our side, so we should easily…."

"No."

"It's the only way."

"Major, I have leapt off of a ten story cliff for you, crossed a flooded river, fished for my dinner, and walked across a shale field trickier than any mine field I've ever seen. I am wearing bruises from half of the trees, sticks, and rocks on this planet. Now you want me to jump onto a six foot wide piece of dirt that's almost completely surrounded by a bottomless pit? I don't think so!"

**Day 13**

"We have to jump across, Sir."

"Life's too short, Carter. It might not be much, but it's all we've got."

**Day 14**

"Trust me, Sir."

"I don't know if I can…."

"Trust me? Or trust yourself?"

O'Neill didn't reply right away. "I don't know," he muttered, "I really don't know…."

"I won't let you down, Colonel. I haven't yet, and I never will."

**Day 15**

"Are you ready, Sir?"

"I don't like this. I don't like standing here waiting while you jump first. I don't like having to stand here not knowing if you've made it. I don't like the idea of having to run through utter darkness and leap across something I can't see. I don't like the idea of falling eight feet until I land on something that's shorter than I am tall. I don't like…."

"Excuse me, Colonel, but are you done bitching?"

"I guess so."

"OK, then, well, here I go -"

"Sam?" O'Neill reached out frantically.

"Sir?"

"I just….just….," he collected himself. "Go on, Carter, get on with it."

Her touch lingered on his hand. "I'm off, Colonel."

Her boots crunched on the gravel, and then silence. A scuffling noise, and then the sound of rocks falling echoed up the crevasse.

"Sam? SAM???" It was quiet, too quiet. "SAM!"

"I'm fine, Colonel, it's a cinch!" she finally replied, winded. "I'm ready when you are!"

"I'll never be ready!" And with a kamikaze yell he ran forward into darkness the counted steps, five four three two one jump.…

And fell.

Into waiting arms, catching him as he rocked backwards away from the small patch of safety toward nothingness.

**Day 16**

"Colonel! The gate! It's just across the valley! We're going home!"

"Never doubted it, Carter, I never doubted it."

**Day 18**

"After you, Major."

"Oh, no, Sir, you first, I wouldn't dream of it."

"Err…..how about….we go together?" He held out his hand.

**Day 30**

O'Neill's back was turned when Carter walked into the hospital room in Colorado Springs.

"Colonel? I came as soon as Daniel and Teal'c and I got back from helping SG-9. I would have been here for you this morning, I'm sorry, the mission ran longer……" she trailed off.

He shrugged and his voice was flat. "You do what you've got to do." Silence.

Carter walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Colonel?"

"You know, I'm so used to the infirmary, I forgot how nice a window is in a hospital room." He paused for a minute. "The sunlight, it feels good. Is it supposed to be clear tonight?"

"Yes, sir – perfect weather." Carter's voice was shaking.

"Good." O'Neill put his hand over hers, and then pivoted slowly, his brown eyes seeking and meeting hers, a hugh grin on his face. "Good. Because I've got a date with the Horsehead Nebula tonight, and I'd surely hate to miss it."

"Yes, Sir," she whispered, "yes, Sir!" She turned away awkwardly, and then picked up his overnight bag with the hand he had been holding, as if she had planned to carry his bag for him all along. She gestured toward the door, still not trusting herself to speak.

This time, O'Neill didn't object to leading the way at all.

end


End file.
